Apple Tarte Tatin (Tarte Tatin aux Pommes)

Grab this foolproof, easy apple Tarte Tatin recipe to discover how to make a delicious French dessert all year round. Apple Tatin is an upside-down pastry with caramelized apples on top. It is the recipe everyone is talking about!

If you are looking for an easy and quick apple dessert, do not look any further. This classic apple tarte Tatin (Tarte Tatin aux pommes in French) is your answer.

This apple tarte Tatin recipe is adapted from the one by French chef Christophe Michalak.

His approach to apple preparation is completely different from most chefs. He uses a poaching technique.

Instead of frying apples in caramel before baking, Mr. Michalak cooks apple quarters in butter/sugar/water syrup for 10 minutes.

This step makes the apples soft and allows you to arrange them in a pan with the cooked caramel as tight as possible.

What is apple tarte Tatin?

Apple tarte Tatin is a signature French apple upside-down dessert with caramelized apples, puff pastry, and silky caramel revealed after flipping the tart right after baking.

This delicious French pastry was invented by two Tatin sisters, owners of a provincial French hotel named Hotel Tatin, at the end of the 19th century.

Forgetting about apples cooking on the stove while making an apple pie and feeling the burning smell, Stéphanie Tatin saved the situation.

She covered the apples with the dough on top and baked the pie anyway.

According to Wikipedia,

After turning out the upside-down tart, she was surprised to find how much the hotel guests appreciated the dessert.

Why you should try this recipe

• This puff pastry tarte Tatin is the easiest apple dessert ever. It requires only five ingredients plus a store-bought puff pastry.

• Poaching apples is one of the best techniques for making classic apple tarte Tatin.

• It is one of the best apple desserts, an all-year-round favorite.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Find the recipe card below for exact amounts and detailed instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.

• Sugar: use granulated white or caster sugar.

• Apples: the recipe calls for Golden Delicious apples, but you can replace them with Gala, Braeburn, Boskoop, Canada, Pink Lady, or Reinette if desired.

• Butter: use unsalted butter for apple poaching.

• Puff pastry: use store-bought or homemade puff pastry, butter-based, for the best results.

Recipe variations

Apple tatin with puff pastry is the easiest way of making tarte Tatin, but are there other options?

• Shortcrust pastry is another extra delicious twist on a French classic.

• Almost any other pie crust or pie dough works as a pastry base to make the recipe.

How to make apple tarte Tatin

Thaw the puff pastry. Using a rolling pin, roll it out to 5 mm thick. Cut a circle of puff pastry using a 9-inch/23 cm pie pan as a template. Prick it with a fork and set it aside.

#1 Make a dry caramel

To make dry caramel, place ⅓ of granulated sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium heat.

Shake the pan over the stovetop while cooking sugar, but do not use any utensils, including a wooden spoon.

Add another ⅓ of sugar and swirl the saucepan again. Finally, add the remaining sugar and wait until the sugar dissolves (photo 1).

The caramel must get a beautiful light amber color without becoming dark brown. It takes about 3 to 4 min. 

Extra Tip: The caramel continues to cook and therefore darkens from residual heat while in the hot saucepan! If it is overcooked, the baked tarte Tatin may get a bitter, burned taste. 

Pour hot caramel immediately into the bottom of the pan (here is a pie tin) 9 inches/23 cm in diameter (photo 2). Put aside for the caramel to harden.

# Poach apples

To poach apples, peel and cut them in quarters. Remove all seeds with a spoon or melon baller (photo 3). 

In a large pot, place water, cold butter cut into cubes, and sugar and bring to a boil. Add quartered apples and cook them for about 10 minutes.

Remove apples when they become translucent (photo 4). Test the apples' readiness: if the tip of a knife goes in without resistance, the apples are ready. Let them cool down.

#3 Assemble apple tarte Tatin

Heat oven to 355°F (180°C). Arrange the apple slices on the bottom of the pie mold, placing them on the edges tightly in a circular pattern (aka concentric circles) (photo 5).

Place a circle of the buttery pastry on top of the poached apples. Slightly press the edges of the pastry against the sides of the mold (photo 6). 

#4 Bake it

Bake the tarte Tatin in the preheated oven for 45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Then, take it out of the oven and let it cool down for about 20 to 30 minutes (photos 7-8).

Then place a serving plate on top of the mold and flip the tart quickly, using a sharp move.

Tarte Tatin is covered with caramelized apples on top, while the puff pastry circle forms a base.

Expert Tips

1. Please read the post for Hazelnut Praline about caramel, tips, and trick for making perfect caramel.
2. Poach apples as one batch or divide apples and poach them in two times. Do not overcook apples!
3. Use a pie tin, a cake pan, or an oven-safe skillet to make the dessert: a special tarte Tatin tin, a nonstick skillet (without a handle), or a cast-iron skillet.
4. Arrange poached apples tightly by pressing them down and against each other and the edge of the pan.
5. If the tart has cooled down before serving, bring it to the oven at 355° F (180°C) for a few minutes to liquefy the caramel. Then flip it over and serve.
6. The calorie count is calculated approximately and does not include the whole amounts of caramel and poaching syrup ingredients. 

Storage instructions

Apple tarte Tatin is best served warm, straight from the oven. You can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Best apples for tarte Tatin

To make the best apple tarte Tatin, apples must hold their shape throughout cooking.

• Traditionally, French chefs prefer Reine de Reinette, Reinette Clochard, Reinette Chanteclerc, and Belle de Boskoop, apples with the right balance of sweetness and acidity.

• Other pastry chefs easily use Gala and Golden Delicious; this is what I use to make apple tarte Tatin.

• Feel free to experiment with Honeycrisp apples to make this classic French dessert.

You must peel and core apples, slice them in quarters and caramelize them.

Gordon Ramsey and Jacques Sailer recommend peeling apples the night before and keeping them uncovered in the refrigerator to allow them to dry. This step helps avoid a soggy crust.

Recipe FAQ

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from C'est pas de la tart. It was originally published on October 05, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.